


Down Time

by static_abyss



Series: Stories on a Yacht [1]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Minor Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Pirates, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:01:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/static_abyss/pseuds/static_abyss
Summary: Joe feels it even now, how the smell of salt in the air stirs memories. He vaguely recalls the seaside and ships docking at ports as a young boy, how muscled men would carry crates and sacks filled with all the things they'd traded. He thinks he used to swim in rivers where the water ran blue and crystalline, where fish scattered at his feet when he walked by. Something about the water calls him and leaves him with an ache that stings of home."Are you all right?" Nicky asks in soft Italian.Joe turns to him, the sun just missing Nicky's chair. He grins and reaches out to take Nicky's hand, to kiss the back of it."I was just remembering you in a pirate hat," he says.-A story about loss, immortality, and pirates in the 1600s.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Stories on a Yacht [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847947
Comments: 18
Kudos: 207





	Down Time

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted pirates. I have no other excuses.

"Tell me about the 1600's," Nile says. 

Joe looks at Andy, at Nile, then finally at Nicky. They both know the question Nile is asking and they both know what it means that Joe leans forward on his deck chair atop their yacht and says, "Have I ever told you the story about the time we got boarded by pirates."

He hears Andy's soft snort of laughter and sees Nile's immediate interest. He can almost feel Nicky's eye roll and though this is a story best told when Booker is there to make the appropriate complaints, it's a story that Joe wants to tell. No matter how much those memories hurt.

It's an ache born from longing, this little thing he missed in the grand scheme of their lives. So he didn't get to travel to the New World for the first time with Nicky. At least, he hadn't lost the love of his life trying to save the world. At least, any pain he and Nicky had suffered had been over before the day ended. At least, neither of them had to carry that emptiness Andromache had held in those years they'd searched for Quynh, the quiet loneliness that's started to unravel ever since Nile joined their group. 

They're different now and no matter what the new days bring, their group will never be quite what it was when it was just Quynh, Andromache, Nicolo and him. Even if they find Quynh in the few years Andy has left, if that's what Andy wants, Joe will never be able to do justice to those years at sea.

Even this yacht they'd rented, with its shining metallic sides and its steel doors, beds soft as freshly turned earth, can never measure up to Nicolo and Yusuf at sea. He misses the water, the big wooden ships with their massive sails that had reminded him of home. Nostalgic memories of feelings more than images, as though Yusuf's heart had been telling him that the sea was something to miss. 

He feels it even now, how the smell of salt in the air stirs memories. He vaguely recalls the seaside and ships docking at ports as a young boy, how muscled men would carry crates and sacks filled with all the things they'd traded. He thinks he used to swim in rivers where the water ran blue and crystalline, where fish scattered at his feet when he walked by. Something about the water calls him and leaves him with an ache that stings of home. 

"Are you all right?" Nicky asks in soft Italian. 

Joe turns to him, the sun just missing Nicky's chair. He grins and reaches out to take Nicky's hand, to kiss the back of it. 

"I was just remembering you in a pirate hat," he says. 

Nile leans forward in her chair and Joe can see that thirst for knowledge in her eyes, that frank desire to know them. He can see why Andy's taken with her. It's been so long since any of them felt like anything could surprise them. But Nile sits among them and asks about their past as though everything they've done is important and worth talking about. As though she intends to preserve their lives through their storytelling. 

They're all so used to working in the shadows, getting lost in the pages of history. But Nile wants them to see, and Joe understands, finally, that what Andromache's needed all her life was for someone to see her in the dark. 

"I'll tell you a story about pirates, if you tell me a story about yourself," Joe says. "It's a fair exchange. Nicky hates this story and if I'm going to spend the rest of my day apologizing, the payment should fit the bill."

"I do not hate this story," Nicky says. "And we both know neither of us is good at apologies."

Joe laughs as he thinks of the years behind them, the scattered apologies and whispered promises. They've never said sorry for their first meeting though, for the way they'd both died over and over for a cause that had become pointless in time. They don't have to. Some things are best left unsaid.

"Sit back," Nicky says to Nile, his voice drawing Joe back into the conversation. "Let Joe tell you his story about pirates."

"And love," Joe says, meeting Nicky's smile.

"And loss," Andy says, her gaze off on the horizon as she lies on her chair, as far from the sides of their yacht as she can get. 

They're quiet for a moment, all three of them remembering Quynh. 

"Was there treasure?" Nile asks. 

They look at her at the same time and Joe can see that she intended to catch them by surprise. She's astonishing, that easy way Nile brings them back and refuses to let Andromache wallow in her grief. She'll be a great leader. They're all already rallying around her without thinking. 

Joe leans back in his chair and inhales as the breeze brings with it memories of wet wood and gunpowder. "Wouldn't be much of a story if there was no treasure," he says. 

And so, it begins. 

*

They go to the New World because Quynh and Andromache like the sea, because Yusuf and Nicolo have never traveled that far West, because they have time and immortality and Yusuf has always liked the rocking of ships and the smell of the sea on wooden boards. Nicolo walks onto a Spanish vessel as a cook and the rest of them sneak in with the crates of food for the journey. Yusuf spends days at sea locked in a roomful of crates with Andromache and Quynh while Nicolo works the kitchens. It's days of Yusuf huddling among planks of wood, dried meats, and grains, trying to block out the sound of Quynh and Andromache's loving murmurs. 

He doesn't envy them their relationship, forged as it is by the almost two millennia they've spent together. He and Nicky have only been together for a little over six hundred years and compared to Andromache and Quynh, they're still new. But he can't help the way he goes homesick for the feel of Nicolo in his arms at night and the way the crashing waves on the side of the ship make him ache for the past. He's still young enough to remember voyages across the Mediterranian and the feeling of freedom as the wind blew through the sails and carried him forward.

He'd never noticed, back when he was younger, how empty his life had been because when he'd sailed on merchant ships, it had never occurred to him that something might be missing. It had taken him years of trips back and forth, of learning the ways the winds blew and how to navigate a storm before he'd even thought to do something else with his life. Fighting and leading an army had been, and had become, almost second nature to him before he'd met Nicolo. 

When they'd met on that battlefield, the last two men standing amongst a pile of dead soldiers, all Yusuf had known was that he wouldn't let his soldiers die in vain. He'd been their leader and was the last to die, so he'd do it with dignity, fighting for the cause to his last breath. He'd known the look on Nicolo's face that day, even if he hadn't known his name yet. He'd recognized the signs, that last desperate look of a dying man who wouldn't go until he took Yusuf with him. 

Sometimes, Yusuf thinks that's why they lived. Because they'd both been so unwilling to die without the other. 

He shivers now, uncomfortable on the hard floor, and reaches up to unlatch the round window above him. In the darkness, he can see nothing but the endless black sea as it disappears into the horizon. He smells the brine and salt in the air and that heavy, wet scent of a ship on the ocean. Something like soaked wood and the combination of pungent meats and spices. It's the sea and home and Nicolo on a battlefield over six hundred years ago.

"I hate it here," he says into the darkness.

He can hear Andromache shifting in the distance and he places her somewhere near the door. He'd expect nothing less of her and the easy way she protects them all even though she doesn't have to. 

"It's only a few weeks," Andromache says. 

Yusuf can hear her soft whispers with Quynh and before he knows it, she's by his side. Her hand is warm on his arm and he says nothing as she settles down next to him. She's not Nicolo but she's safety and family and the darkness feels less heavy when she's around. 

"Won't Quynh mind?" Yusuf asks. 

He hears Quynh's soft laughter much closer than he'd expected. "Who says you get her to yourself?"

Yusuf hears her shifting on Andromache's other side and then silence as she settles down for the night. It's not long before he can hear her soft breaths and he knows she's asleep. She does it so easily. Yusuf envies her the reprieve of a few hours of dreamless sleep. He should've been asleep instead of Quynh so that he could take over watching the door in the morning. Instead, he's awake, listening to the sounds of the sea and wondering whether Nicolo is warm wherever he is. 

"Why can't you sleep?" Andromache asks. "You've been apart before."

But by that time, Yusuf knows her well enough to understand that she's making conversation. He doesn't remember all the details leading up to the four of them meeting, but if there's one thing Yusuf remembers about the dreams, it's the loneliness. That aching desperation that had seemed to consume Andromache as though she lived its truth daily. She hadn't been alone when they'd met so he hadn't understood, until much later, those distorted images of vast lands and unclimbable mountains. The empty fields and that one lone horse tied to a tree at the edge of nothing. 

Nicolo had had different dreams, ones full of laughter and endless sun, things of joy that met at the edge of Yusuf's dreams. Like pieces of an incomplete puzzle that only gave them half the picture. They'd dreamt of Quynh, those dancing brown eyes and her tendency to jump on things and walk on ledges. Her bow and arrow, made of the finest wood, worn but loved. 

When they'd met up, finally, after years of searching, Quynh had introduced herself by drawing her sword and Yusuf had understood what the pieces meant. He'd seen that careful assessment as Quynh had held back, waiting for Andromache to find her. 

"We mean no harm," Nicky had said. "We're only here because I think we were meant to find you."

Quynh had looked at the two of them and whatever she'd found had made her put her sword away.

"I'm Quynh," she'd said. "Nice to meet you."

Yusuf hadn't known what it was then but he knows now. Quynh had recognized in them the same need to love and to protect that which was precious. Nicolo and Yusuf had both seen it later when they'd found Andromache and had made camp by the edge of the water. How Quynh had laid down on her bedroll and Andromache had followed, that way they'd curled back to back against the sea breeze. 

Yusuf and Nicolo had slept back to front, the same way since they'd woken on the battlefield for the last time. He remembers it clearly even now, as he did back then, how his fading thought as he'd bled out on the dirty ground had been, _this must be a sign. He must be a sign_. How he'd turned and curled around Nicolo's broken body and had finally given in to what God was telling them.

When they'd woken the next morning, everything had changed.

Yusuf sighs now as he feels the droplets of water coming in through the open window at his back. He curls forward until his forehead touches Andromache's shoulder and considers her question. She'd asked why he couldn't sleep and Yusuf could say so many things that would all be true. 

In the end, he settles for the simplest explanation. "We've never been apart for longer than either of us wanted and never because we couldn't help it," he says. 

"It's only a few weeks," she says. 

Yusuf knows she's right. They'll hit land soon enough and he'll be able to wash away the smell of rotting grains and meats in the beaches of Hispaniola. Maybe they'll land somewhere remote and he can go swimming, let the seawater wash away the ache at experiencing this adventure away from Nicolo. Yusuf loves the ocean and he'd always hoped that when he got to sail again, he'd be doing it by Nicolo's side. 

He thinks of distant lands and imagines stealing a smaller ship. Maybe he can convince Nicolo to go with him for a while, just the two of them so Yusuf can smell the salt and water as it washes over the deck. Maybe he'll kiss Nicolo in the sun and see him laughing under the moonlight. 

"I think it's the ship," Yusuf says. "It reminds me of home."

It's the spices and the wood, the sounds of feet above them all day, and getting to see Nicolo for stolen moments throughout the day. He thinks of battlefields and the way the river had washed away the blood from their clothes the day after Yusuf had woken up with Nicolo in his arms for the first time. How pointless their fighting had seemed when neither of them could die. 

They'd kissed near a river for the first time when Yusuf had finally learned more than a few hesitant Italian phrases. It had come naturally to him, the cadences to the words, how they'd flowed from his mouth. He'd wanted to tell Nicolo that he too felt that pull, that he understood the careful considering look on Nicolo's face, that he too wanted what the world said he must not have. An enemy turned friend turned lover. 

"You just wanted to tell him he had a nice arse," Andromache had said when Yusuf had told her the story of how he'd picked up Italian. 

Yusuf had laughed, delighted by the pieces of herself Andromache was giving away. "Maybe," he'd said with a wink at Nicolo.

But the truth is that Yusuf hadn't seen the point in denying himself a love ordered by God. Even now, when the old way they'd worshipped has fallen away, Yusuf still believes Nicolo when he says they were meant to be. 

-

They watch Hispaniola change hands over the years as they move through the New World. They try on names like they try on clothes to see what fits and how. It's natural now to respond to Joseph, to introduce Nicholas and not Nicolo. Andromache goes by Anne and Quynh is Catherine if she gives her name at all. 

They watch the Spanish Catholics fighting the English and Yusuf watches from the parapet of empty houses as they tear each other apart in the streets. They get involved where they can, where it's important, and Nicolo doesn't complain when they choose to bypass the Battle of 1655. They're different people now and things like old alliances mean nothing when they can't die. It makes no sense to Yusuf to choose a side in pointless battles over land that never belonged to the people fighting over it. 

They travel because the world changes with or without them and there's only four of them. Years later, Andromache and Quynh leave them in Saint-Domingue among the mix of Dutch, Spanish, and British pirates because there's trouble in Salem but Nicolo has finally agreed to travel the Caribbean waters with Yusuf. 

Yusuf watches from the parapet of the same old stone house at the edge of town where they'd stayed forty years ago. There's so much fighting and scrambling in the streets, too many people with too many coats of arms, for anyone to notice that the once empty house is holding Yusuf and Nicolo again. Andromache and Quynh were there long enough to pack for their journey and nothing more. This home, with all its empty rooms and bespoke chandeliers, feels like Yusuf's and Nicolo's. It's theirs more than anything has been in a while, and though the four of them have agreed to meet there in a few months, the rooms will always hold more memories of Nicolo than anyone else. 

The island becomes home and Yusuf and Nicolo stay because there's something about the seas surrounding Saint-Domingue down to Tortuga that breathes of nonconformity. They blend into the crowds, into the lawlessness of the land, the pirates and privateers that land in the Northern and Western shores. For the first time in a long time, they're able to breathe and walk together without fear. In the waters and amongst pirates, Yusuf sees the beginnings of freedom for the people of this time. 

"We could go anywhere," Nicolo says once. 

Yusuf looks out at Tortuga's shore in the distance. They're aboard a ship that holds people from all over the world, and when Yusuf kisses Nicolo under the rays of the midday sun, no one bats an eye. They'd hang for it on the mainland and just the thought of someone thinking his love for Nicolo is vile makes him infinitely angry and sad. He'd burn their cities to the ground if he thought it would change a thing. But Andromache's lived longer than any of them and even she can't change the way the world works. 

"Did you know Tortuga means turtle in Spanish," Yusuf says instead. 

Nicolo touches his shoulder and the warmth of his hand eases some of the aches in Yusuf's chest. Sometimes, when the world changes and ideas shift, he feels as though he can't catch up, as though he can't breathe fast enough to match the whirlwind around him. Sometimes, the ideas change and those changes hurt Nicolo or Andromache or Quynh and Yusuf wants to tear the world apart to keep them safe. It's worse on the mainland where Nicolo's hurt is because of his loss of faith in the church. 

It's the senseless fighting and the way the Catholics use the church to justify their hatred. How no one but Yusuf and Nicolo seem to realize the futility to it all. In a few years, these ideas, too, will shift and there will be another battle for another ideology. But even knowing that, Yusuf and Nicolo stay in this fight because there's something about the hope in Nicolo's eyes, despite his disappointment, that makes everything worth it. Because sometimes, the people they save have that same hope in their eyes. Because Nicolo believes in the inherent goodness of humanity and Yusuf does too.

Yusuf fights for their small family made up of broken souls seeking a higher purpose. Because he knows what it is he saw in his dreams of Andromache. He sees her hopelessness even if he doesn't share it with her. Because God has not let him down yet, because when Yusuf prays that Nicolo wakes, he always does. But he can understand why Andromache doubts, because she'd asked only once and Lykon had never opened his eyes again. 

"Thinking again, love?" Nicolo says, letting his arm fall around Yusuf. 

Yusuf turns to him and presses their foreheads together. He can feel the heat coming off Nicolo's face and he thinks of the days at sea where he's seen Nicolo burn and heal and burn and heal, while Yusuf takes on a beautiful tan under the sun. 

"We could still steal a ship and follow the sea," Yusuf says. "I've always wanted to try my hand at privateering."

Nicolo frowns in thought. "We could use the money," he says.

"And you'd look good in a hat," Yusuf tells him.

-

They call their ship The Crusader. She's beautiful, all shining wooden sides with painted borders, lines of black around the protruding parts of the hull. The masts stand like rising sea beasts above the ship, thick poles of honey-colored wood that rise into the sky as sheets of coiled white cloth barely flutter in the wind. On the floor of the main deck, around the rigging, lie thick braided ropes and an assortment of crates as men in loose pants scatter like ants around each other. 

Yusuf watches them from the quarterdeck, his back to the helm of the ship. Nicolo is by the opposite end, on the forecastle, and Yusuf can just make out his outline in between the hanging sails. He's staring out at the carved figure of Andromache, painted in gold and shining under the sun. 

They'd almost named the ship after Quynh but she guards her name as if giving it away means she'll be no more. Yusuf understands her reluctance. He, for all his desire to be part of the world and do some good, knows how cruel and violent people can be. He and Quynh are not as easily startled by the horrors they see because they've seen them before. So if Quynh wants to guard her name like it'll give her purpose and strength, then Yusuf will honor her wish. The world doesn't deserve more than she's willing to give it. 

Still, the inside of the ship has her bow and arrow carved into the doorways and the hidden corners of the crew's quarters. And when they have to steer the ship, they'll always see that same design in the center of the helm. Quynh, quiet but present. 

Yusuf stares out at the sea in the distance, the calm waters that lap at the sides of The Crusader. She's sturdy and strong, a good ship for the trips they'll be making in the name of whoever's pockets run deeper. He turns to eye the crew and sees Nicolo working his way around them to get to Yusuf. 

He's beautiful in the sun and Yusuf thinks of rivers and home and the endless waves of blue.

"Did you know," Nicolo says when he reaches Yusuf. "Our figurehead Andromache has a small bow and arrow carved near her heart."

Yusuf shrugs. "I asked them for something bold," he says, knowing he's failing at keeping the amusement from his face. "Maybe they thought that was it."

Nicolo leans forward and presses a kiss to Yusuf's face. "Or maybe you're still just a romantic at heart," he says.

Yusuf raises an eyebrow and flicks his hat. "I'm a Captain," he says. "We don't have time for romance on the high seas."

"Andromache surrounding Quynh," Nicolo says, a soft smile on his face. "Quynh at the heart of this ship who we both know should have been named Andromache."

Yusuf shrugs. "What can I say," he says, looking out at the main deck, at the sea, and at Nicolo laughing at his side. "I've always loved a good metaphor."

-

Tortuga's shores are clean white sand that disappears into crystalline waves. There's a deep blue as far as the eye can see and thick vegetation further inland, rows upon rows of trees that look as though they still hold secrets. The weather's muggy and the scent of brine permeates the air as they anchor among other ships at port. 

Yusuf inhales and he thinks this is what the trading ports of his youth must have smelled like. There's spices and perfumes, alcohols of different flavors that waft upwards as one of the men from another ship drops a barrel. Yusuf watches the scuffle, the angry words that lead to punches as the men figure out who owes what. It lasts only long enough for the Quartermasters to step in and Yusuf watches the exchange of goods and the friendly ribbing. 

"New ship?" calls one of the men down below. "Selling or buying?"

The call passes between the crew and reaches Yusuf. He looks out at the men below him, the ones they've picked up in taverns and down by the darkest corners of the mainland. A few days at sea had been all they'd needed to form a bond, something about the crashing waves in the dark, echoing that same sentiment Yusuf had felt when he and Nicolo kept waking up in that bloody battlefield. The sea wipes away the prejudices that exist among men and these men on The Crusader can feel it too. 

"Neither," Yusuf calls back down. "We're here to talk to Captain Morgan."

-

It goes like this. Captain Morgan hates competition but enjoys knowing he's inspiring people. He allows them use of the waters on the Eastern side of the island and nothing more. 

"May the best ship prosper," he says, throwing an arm around Yusuf and leering at Nicolo. "I take it you're not interested in visiting a brothel in celebration."

Yusuf raises an eyebrow at Nicolo who stares back at them blankly. Yusuf would never, but he enjoys the freedom of the island, and being so close to sea with Nicolo at his side makes him playful. 

"No need," Yusuf says. "I'm sure we can find other ways to celebrate."

Captain Morgan roars with laughter and lets them go. And so, they become less privateers and more like pirates, hunting down Spanish and English ships alike. Only to keep their crew happy and fed, to afford the rooms on Tortuga and the use of a soft bed. 

Yusuf finally gets to kiss Nicolo at midday and has him under the moonlight, their bodies cold from the splash of ocean spray. He drowns in the quiet sounds Nicolo makes when Yusuf lays him out in their cabin, how easily he goes where Yusuf wants him. They get lost in the slide of skin against skin and pleasure that builds low in Yusuf's belly, the kind of love-making that catches them both by surprise. Unhurried and lazy, as they've never been in their lives. 

At sea, the taste of Nicolo in Yusuf's mouth is always accompanied by the sharp scent of salt. As the ship drifts and the night crew keeps watch, Yusuf gets lost in Nicolo's hands, his body, that inevitable pull towards their mutual release. They're so much better at this at sea because Nicolo senses the shift in Yusuf, that rightness in his body each time they get back on The Crusader. 

"I like you like this," Nicolo says as often as he can. "You look free."

Yusuf smiles at him, always a little sad, always knowing that these things never last. There's still Andromache and Quynh, the rest of the world. They'll have to leave eventually and the world will move on without them. 

"I like you in the sun," Yusuf says. 

Nicolo grins. "You cannot see yourself," he says. "Otherwise you wouldn't waste time complimenting me." 

They're half a day behind a Spanish ship and when they catch it, their men take the ship, easy as anything. Yusuf fights with Nicolo's back against his and they relieve the ship of its goods and prisoners. The Captain and the crew get thrown overboard and when the day is done, the Spanish ship flies different colors under a new crew. 

"Not bad for amateur pirates," Yusuf says.

Nicolo watches the Spanish ship sail away under a black and green flag. "No," he says. "Not bad."

Yusuf turns to him, kisses him under the rigging to the cheering of their men. "Let's stir up some madness," Yusuf says when they pull away. 

-

They don't find madness. 

Andromache finds them. She comes to them, her hair matted and dirty by choice. She tells them she needs a ship so they pay off most of their crew and send them to Captain Morgan. They hand her The Crusader and keep a skeleton crew, only the men who don't question why it's Andromache who starts giving orders.

She doesn't have to say it. Yusuf knows. He watches her stare at the bow and arrow in the center of the helm, how her eyes go glassy with tears. They're wretched sobs that come from deep in her soul, terrible broken things that speak of unbearable loss. 

Andromache tells them in bits and pieces, another puzzle for Yusuf and Nicolo to put together. They huddle around her and she rocks back and forth, telling them about the hangings, about Quynh and her, curled together in a stone cell. She talks about the chains, the cold metal, the smell of rusted cages. She asks over and over how long it would take for someone to go mad at sea. 

They keep her between them that night and the following week, just long enough for her to gather herself.

"Whatever you need," Yusuf says. 

"Just tell us what you want us to do," Nicolo agrees. 

Andromache starts a rumor of a sunken Spanish ship with enough treasure to make a ship's crew rich four times over. Yusuf and Nicolo let loose in taverns on Tortuga, talk up the massive amounts of Spanish doubloons. 

"An iron coffin," they say. 

"Aboard the ship," they say.

"Find the iron coffin and you find the treasure."

They roam the waters from Salem down to Tortuga. Every so often, they drop anchor, search, find nothing, and move on. Then they do it again, and again, and again until their crew grows weary and Andromache lets them chase another ship. Yusuf watches her, the anger with which she cuts down her enemies. The crew starts to fear her, starts to whisper witchcraft and bad luck. 

Then the storm hits and Andromache asks them to push through it. 

"She's lost," Nicolo says, watching her from the deck.

Andromache stands by the helm, the lightning at her back as thunder cracks overhead. She looks dangerous and wild, the hard lines of her face half in shadow. She's soaked through and even so, her grip on the helm is unmovable. 

"She's hurting," Yusuf says.

Nicolo takes his hand and when Yusuf turns to him, his smile is sad. "She's lost her heart," he says.

They sleep just the two of them that night and Yusuf dreams of the bloody battlefield where neither of them could stay dead. Except in his dreams, Nicolo doesn't wake up. Yusuf does, slowly, his heart beating hard against his chest as he holds onto Nicolo a little tighter. He exhales when he feels the rise and fall of Nicolo's chest beneath his hands and he buries his face in the back of his neck. Nicolo's warm, alive, here. 

He feels so infinitely lucky even as his heart aches for Andromache, sleepless above them. 

-

They're boarded by pirates, their Captain, a thickly muscled man with ruffled brown hair and calculating eyes. He looks them over, eyes landing on Nicolo but staying on Yusuf. He's handsome, the Pirate Captain, scars running along the side of his face, thick muscles on his arms from the constant pulling of ropes. Yusuf can't help himself.

He smiles. "Hello there, Captain."

He hears Andromache's quiet snort of laughter and feels a swell of pride at knowing he's caused it. They haven't heard her laugh in their three weeks at sea. 

"We're boarding your ship," the Captain says. "It's ours now."

Andromache glances at Yusuf and Nicolo, that quirk to her eyebrow that says she intends to have fun. "I think he said he wants to board our ship," she says. 

Yusuf and Nicolo exchange hopeful, surprised looks and if Andromache notices, she says nothing. Yusuf watches her closely, afraid he's imagined that small bit of joy from her. 

"We don't really have much to give," Nicolo says. "Our ship is smaller than theirs."

Andromache turns back to the Pirate Captain and shrugs. "Our ship is smaller than yours."

The Captain looks at the deck, his eyes lingering on the masts and resewn sails. Yusuf sees him eye Andromache's axe, sees him take a look at the stony expression on her face. He can't help his laugh as the Pirate Captain's eyes land back on Yusuf, his expression interested.

"I'll take you," he says. 

Andromache laughs and the sound carries the weight of all her years. It's sad and heavy but it's laughter. 

"I'm sure Nicolo will have something to say to that," she says. 

Yusuf looks at the Pirate Captain, at his broad shoulders and his ship behind him. "I like a man with a good ship," Yusuf says, shrugging. 

"So do I," Nicolo says, coming up behind the Captain, his sword resting casually across the man's neck. 

"We could take his ship," Yusuf says. 

"And his crew," Andromache adds. "More men means quicker searches."

They turn to the crew. 

"One man's gold is as good as any other," their Quartermaster says.

Yusuf turns to the Captain. "I want your ship," he says. "And your men. "

*

"And that's how Joe ended up married to Captain Swann for something like a year and a half," Nicky says. 

"It was not marriage," Joe says, tugging Nicky's hand closer. "It was an equitable distribution of wealth." 

Nicky laughs and Joe watches the sun edge closer to their chairs. The day is calm, a few scattered clouds to their left. The whir of the yacht's motor is the loudest sound between the four of them. 

"Didn't Swann dump you as soon as he saw Culliford at Tortuga?" Andy asks.

Her voice breaks the silence and the amusement behind it reminds Joe of their years at sea. He still pours out enthusiasm every time he sees her again, this loud, boisterous embrace, because Yusuf never wants Andy to doubt how much they love her. He doesn't want her to forget that though they can't offer her what Quynh did, they can give her a different kind of peace. 

"It was for the best," Joe says now, his eyes on Andy. "I was tired of breaking his heart."

He hears Nicky's amused snort beside him and smiles in response even as he continues to watch Andy. She looks the same, if a little tired. Nothing about her says that she's aging and Yusuf is surprised that he expected a bigger sign. There is something different about her though, a sort of easiness to her shoulders. She sits on her lounge chair with her hands behind her head and her eyes closed, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. 

He turns to Nicky and knows that Nicky's thinking the same thing. This is Andromache at peace. 

"So," Nile says. "There was no treasure?"

She asks it so casually, she might have never heard of Quynh. Joe and Nicky exchange glances but Andy just settles deeper into her chair and grins, her eyes still closed. 

"Well, now," Joe says. "No one said there wasn't _any_ treasure."

"Where do you think we're going?" Andy asks.

"No way," Nile says, her enthusiasm making Joe smile. "We're looking for buried treasure?"

"Or something," Nicky says. 

"But first," Andy says, opening her eyes and looking at each of them in turn. "First, we find Booker."

Nile nods. "No man left behind," she says. 

And Joe, for all that he was pissed off for a couple of days, would never think of saying no. 

"First we find Booker," Nicky agrees, his hand warm in Joe's, the sea breeze ruffling his hair as he gives Joe a look. 

Joe rolls his eyes. "I didn't even say anything this time."

Nicky smiles and as Andy and Nile's laughter washes over him, Joe feels the first stirrings of excitement. He's due a few months at sea, hunting down the things they buried all those years ago. To spend some time with Nile and watch the way she brings out the best in Andy. To spend some time on a beach with Nicky, where they can curl into each other at night and wake to sun in the mornings. To throw Booker overboard once, even if he has to go get him later. 

They're due some down time. 

They're due some peace.

It's only fair.


End file.
